this might be very subjective but i thought i'd ask. i learned to short board on a board with just 1 back strap, an old fanatic boa from '88. i have recently been riding a 2005 naish titan 111 with the double back slalom strap settings. i find it very hard to get into that back strap as i am getting up on a plane. once i'm in it's not bad. but sometimes i am near losing my plane and control just trying to get into the back strap. i have recently switched back to one strap and it's easier to get in but my ankle and knee seem hyper extended and get sore quite easily after a while. any ideas? what is the advantage to riding out further on the rail with the double backstrap settings and do you find this to impede jumping and slashing at all?

fyi - my mast is set halfway on the track and my boom is as low as it can go in the mast sleeve opening (another issue i need to correct, perhaps longer lines?). feeling a bit out of control in the gusts AND in the chop/swell at Berkeley.

A single strap is easier to get into and better for jumping and slashing. Double straps give you more leverage over the fin so you can use bigger fins and sails thus sail faster so double strap favors flatter water.

Getting into double back straps means you have to commit to the harness more and press with the toes of your back foot, not the heel.

As for boom height and harness line length, well now you have opened that can of worms again. Boom height is a personal thing that people set from around their nipples to their eyebrows depending on their style, type of sailing and conditions. Saying you are placing your boom at the bottom of the luff sleeve means you like it low, and that sounds real low unless you are real short. Stand on your board and a soft surface with the fin off and check your boom height to see where it falls. If it is below your nipples that might be a bit extreme. As for your line length a shorter boom will tend to favor shorter lines and a higher boom longer lines.

I've tried that Titan 111, but it wasn't that windy so I couldn't tell much about it. At 111 litres, you'll probably want to use both back footstraps. It does tend to put you in more of a slalom position, but you should still be able to slash once you get used to it, though maybe not as aggressively as you would on a small wave board. Jumping should be just fine.

For boom height and harness line length, Coach is right, there's tons of debate out there, the "old school" guys of the 80's shoved their booms as high as the could, and measured line length in feet!

If you're cramped up, so you can't straighten your arms or legs when you sail, your lines are probably too short. If you can't sheet your sail all the way in, even when your butt is slapping the water, then your lines are probably too long.

I'd recommend keeping your boom height at about chest high, or just a tad above. Make sure you can stretch out away from your board, so that your legs and arms are almost straight. If you're cramped up, not only will you be uncomforable, but you'll also have less control, because your body weight is closer to the center of effort of the sail.

Adjustable harness lines are nice when you're trying to nail down your harness length, then you can get a specific length when you're dialed in. Remember also to have enough downhaul on your sail, so that it can spill wind in the gusts and you'll feel more in control.

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